Operating unit for an injection molding machine

ABSTRACT

An operating unit has an operating program and a touch-sensitive display screen on which display fields and/or navigation fields can be represented. Upon actuation of the operating fields, operating signals can be sent by a control or regulating device to injection molding machine elements. Upon actuation of the navigation fields, pages of the operating program can be called up. At least one operating group contains the operating fields but no navigation fields, and/or navigation groups contain the navigation fields but no operating fields. At least one passive field in the form of rows and/or columns contains neither operating fields nor navigational fields. The least one operating group and/or the navigation groups are arranged in rows and/or columns, and the at least one passive field is arranged between the navigation groups and/or the at least one operating group.

The present invention concerns an operating unit for an injection molding machine having the features of the classifying portion of claim 1, and an injection molding machine having such an operating unit.

It has been the standard for some time for the operating units of injection molding machines to be equipped with touch-sensitive display screens. As an example mention is to be made of the Austrian patent application bearing the filing No A 851/2011 to the present applicant, which is not a prior publication. Operation by means of a touch-sensitive display screen admittedly affords obvious advantages but the structure disclosed in the above patent application is worthy of improvement. As the space on the touch-sensitive display screen is limited the above-mentioned application provides that the keys or buttons for menu control are arranged separately outside the display screen. That makes fluent operation difficult as it is in fact always necessary to look for the correct button and the operator is not intuitively guided to his aim, as would be possible in the case of menu control by means of a touch display. The obvious measure of simply integrating the buttons for menu control on the touch-sensitive display screen is not appropriate as a high degree of susceptibility to error would occur for reasons of space.

The object of the invention is to provide an operating unit for an injection molding machine, which allows fluent and in particular error-free operation of the injection molding machine.

That object is attained by an operating unit having the features of claim 1.

That is effected by groups of operating fields, the actuation of which triggers operating signals sent by the control or regulating device to injection molding machine elements, and groups of navigation fields which serve for navigation within the operating program being so arranged that there are always passive regions between them. That prevents unwanted activities on the part of the injection molding machine being triggered by unintentional actuation of operating fields or navigation fields, or unwanted pages of the operating program being called up.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the appendant claims.

For optimum utilisation of space it can be provided that information about the injection molding machine can be represented in the at least one passive field.

To achieve a good compromise between utilisation of space and error avoidance it can be provided that the at least one passive field, when it is in the form of a row, is of a height of a minimum of 0.5 cm, preferably a minimum of 1 cm, and/or that the at least one field, if it is in the form of a column, is of a width of a minimum of 0.5 cm, preferably a minimum of 1 cm.

A further preferred embodiment is one in which at least one navigation field is arranged on at least two difference pages of the operating program on the same position as that is conducive to fluent operation of the injection molding machine.

Protection is further claimed for an injection molding machine having an operating unit according to the invention.

Further advantages and details of the invention will be apparent from the Figures and the related specific description. In the Figures:

FIG. 1 shows an example of an injection molding machine with an operating unit according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 shows an example of an arrangement according to the invention of operating groups, navigation groups and passive fields.

FIG. 1 shows an injection molding machine having mold mounting plates 7, quick-action stroke means 8, bar members 6, locking mechanisms 9, pressure mechanisms 10 and an injection unit 11. The Figure diagrammatically shows an operating unit 1 having a touch-sensitive display screen 3 and a control or regulating device 4 which is connected to the operating unit and which is itself connected to the above-mentioned elements of the injection molding machine.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the arrangement according to the invention of the navigation groups, the operating groups and the passive regions. In this embodiment, an arrangement in rows is selected, which however is not essential, for it is equally possible to select a column arrangement or a hybrid form. Disposed at the top is the status/alarm bar 12. By means thereof it is possible for example to navigate to an alarm page or to a page for user login. Disposed therebeneath is a passive region which is in the form of an information panel 13, on which various parameters of the injection molding machine 2 and/or automation (for example handling equipment) can be represented. Adjoining same it is possible to see the drive and heating bar 14, by way of which dialogs for controlling various drives and heating means of the injection molding machine 2 can be called up. Disposed therebeneath is a passive region which is in the form of a path bar 15. Disposed therebeneath once again is a block comprising title bar 16, function region 17, working region 18, operating mode bar 19 and hand button allocation bar 20.

Frequently required menu points like pressing and auxiliary themes can be reached with the function region 17. A wide range of different pages, for example for setting a wide range of different parameters of the injection molding machine, can be represented in the working region 18. Various operating modes for the injection molding machine like for example automatic operation, set-up mode or learning mode can be selected by way of the operating mode bar 19.

The hand button bar 22 is again separated from above active regions by a passive status information bar 21. In that respect the status information bar 21 presents status information relating to activities of injection molding machine elements which can be triggered by means of the hand buttons, possibly with haptic feedback, in the hand button bar 22.

Although there is only one operating group in this embodiment, namely the hand button bar 22. It is however readily conceivable to provide a plurality of operating groups. 

1. An operating unit for an injection molding machine having an operating program and a touch-sensitive display screen, on which display fields and/or navigation fields can be represented, wherein upon actuation of the operating fields operating signals can be sent by a control or regulating device to injection molding machine elements and upon actuation of the navigation fields pages of the operating program can be called up, and wherein at least one operating group contains operating fields but no navigation fields, and/or navigation groups contain navigation fields but no operating fields, and/or there are provided at least one passive field in the form of rows and/or columns which contains neither operating fields nor navigational fields, and wherein the at least one operating group and/or the navigation groups are arranged in rows and/or columns, characterised in that the at least one passive field is arranged between the navigation groups and/or the at least one operating group.
 2. An operating unit as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that information about the injection molding machine can be represented in the at least one passive field.
 3. An operating unit as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the at least one passive field, if it is in the form of a row, is of a height of a minimum of 0.5 cm, preferably a minimum of 1 cm, and/or the at least one field, if it is in the form of a column, is of a width of a minimum of 0.5 cm, preferably a minimum of 1 cm.
 4. An operating unit as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that at least one navigation field is arranged on at least two different pages of the operating program on the same position.
 5. An injection molding machine having an operating unit as set forth in claim
 1. 6. An operating unit as set forth in claim 2 characterised in that the at least one passive field, if it is in the form of a row, is of a height of a minimum of 0.5 cm, preferably a minimum of 1 cm, and/or the at least one field, if it is in the form of a column, is of a width of a minimum of 0.5 cm, preferably a minimum of 1 cm.
 7. An operating unit as set forth in claim 2 characterised in that at least one navigation field is arranged on at least two different pages of the operating program on the same position.
 8. An operating unit as set forth in claim 3 characterised in that at least one navigation field is arranged on at least two different pages of the operating program on the same position.
 9. An injection molding machine having an operating unit as set forth in claim
 2. 10. An injection molding machine having an operating unit as set forth in claim
 3. 11. An injection molding machine having an operating unit as set forth in claim
 4. 